


Appetizer

by VaguelyDownwards



Category: Kamen Rider Gaim
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 13:26:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10640757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaguelyDownwards/pseuds/VaguelyDownwards
Summary: After everything, Takatora is paying his debts to those he has wronged. Oren has other ideas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Kamen Rider Kinkmeme. Prompt: Oren/Takatora, "He finally gets his beautiful melon." More about bridging the gap between where the show leaves us and a future romance than the romance itself.

The pastry shop is not large, and it never fails to draw a crowd, so Takatora is surprised to find an empty table. Still, he's not one to question good fortune. He's still not certain he wants to be noticed, and the quicker he can take his seat, the less time he has to stand around where he can be easily seen. But there are things to be said, and he's put them off long enough already.

Sitting in a swarm of strangers is almost like being completely alone, which is soothing in a way. He can lose himself in his thoughts listening to the gentle murmur of everyone around him. And there are so few people who know precisely what role he had in Zawame City's apocalypse. No one here will pay him any mind. No one will ask him what possible reason he had. He's just another tired citizen, sitting alone at a table for two.

The clink of ceramic jolts him out of his thoughts. He looks up from the small plate that has been set in front of him to see a familiar face, the young Beat Rider who had asked about a lost friend. He hadn't seemed the sort drawn to Charmant's frills and unabashed pride, but he's certainly taken to it better than armor and lockseeds. "Compliments of the chef," he says quietly, and he disappears before Takatora can say anything.

He looks down at his plate and can't help but smile. It's some kind of fruit tart, no doubt an original creation, with layers of puff pastry and whipped cream. The melon crescent perched on top makes it clear what the inspiration was. Takatora hazards a bite; he's not usually one for sweets, but it's undeniably delicious, and more complicated than he expects in a fruit tart. A selection of fruit, yes, obviously, cream, sugar, a few curls of very dark, bitter chocolate, a spice he can't name.

"Well? Does it meet with your approval?"

He hadn't seen Oren sit down across from him. Maybe he was enjoying the pastry more than he had thought. "It's very good. But I'm sure you already knew that."

"That isn't what I asked. All my creations are nothing but the highest quality. I asked if it meets your approval."

He tries another bite. It is, as he had said, very good, and he has no doubt that everything on Charmant's menu is equally impressive. But...

It's not as overbearingly sweet as he had thought it would be. The sweetness of the fruit is balanced by the chocolate, and the whole thing is decidedly more complex than it looks. The melon topper is deceiving; there's not a hint of melon in the rest of the dish, which is honestly a relief. It's not a fruit he would want included in a thing like that.

"You appear to have made me into a dessert," he says with the barest smile, and Oren lights up.

"I call it the White Prince. I will be adding it to the menu soon, of course, but I wanted you to be the first to try it."

"That's... very kind of you." Strange, definitely. But kind.

"So what brings you to my humble domain today?"

Takatora hesitates. He is less prepared for this conversation than he was to talk about fruit tarts, but it's the reason he's come here. No sense in delaying any longer. "I have something to say to you."

"Yes?"

"I want to apologize."

Oren's laugh is an abrasive shock. "You? Apologize to me? Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm being perfectly serious. I... won't deny my part in the crimes Yggdrasil committed. I told myself it was necessary, that we were saving the world, but there is a very particular sin in viewing the majority of humanity as expendable. And I made you an accomplice in that sin, not by transparency or honesty, but through trickery and outright lies. For that, and for everything I have done to destroy this city and threaten the world, I am sorry."

A long moment passes between them. That's that, then. He's said his piece, and if Oren doesn't want to accept the apology, that's well within his rights.

"Do you think I'm a complete fool?" says Oren suddenly, loudly, and Takatora flinches.

"What? No, I--"

"Do you think I blindly follow whatever orders anyone gives me? I'm a soldier, not a dog. I saw the opportunity to knock some arrogant kids down a few pegs, and to show off in the process, but I never should've been so eager to beat up a handful of children."

"They weren't children. We only gave the Sengoku Driver to legal adults."

"By the merest technicality. And Micchi was certainly a child."

"That... was done behind my back. I specifically indicated adults."

"Yes, and all of them young and desperate and inexperienced enough that they would accept it without asking any questions."

"As I said, I won't deny my many wrongdoings," says Takatora with a weary sigh. "Your point?"

"My point is that none of them were in any shape to face a real fighter, and I used that to my advantage for my own glory. I made that decision independent of any information about whether it was the right thing or not. I could have been more critical of an assignment that encouraged me to brutalize children."

"That doesn't absolve me of what I did. I purposefully kept you in the dark about a great many things."

"And did you know everything yourself? Of course not! We were both unaware of all the details of our situation, and we both made mistakes with the information we had. It's important for a soldier to make those difficult decisions in the moment, and then to deal with the consequences with the same conviction."

"Even if those consequences mean the destruction of the world?"

"Look around you." Oren gestures broadly, and Takatora takes a moment to inspect the shop's inhabitants. Every table is full, the occupants smiling and laughing. It's hard to believe that such a short time ago, the city was evacuated. There are still plenty of signs of the disaster outside--the wall of missing person fliers, buildings not quite repaired, the wreckage of Yggdrasil Tower. But there are also places like this, where despite everything, people are able to spend a peaceful afternoon enjoying each other's company.

"You've done a terrible job of destroying the world, mon amour, if there are still all these people here to treat themselves to something tasty."

Takatora allows himself a smile. "I suppose, when you put it that way."

"Of course, don't think I'm letting you off easy. You may have done what you thought was best, but that doesn't mean it wasn't still a terrible decision. But there's no sense in blaming yourself for everything."

"I still feel I should apologize. It was, as you said, a terrible decision, marked by a number of smaller bad decisions along the way, many of which directly involved you. I am sorry."

"Apology accepted, then. As much as I might miss that beautiful armor, however unfortunate the circumstances might have been."

"I think the world is better off without any of those things."

"Hmm, just so," says Oren thoughtfully. Jonouchi breezes by and lightly taps Oren on the shoulder as he passes. "Ah! I'm afraid duty calls."

"Then I won't keep you any longer. Thank you very much for the treat, and even more for the conversation." Takatora rises from the table, not having any reason to stay; Oren stands as well.

"Please visit any time you like," he says. "If you'd like to stop by after our regular hours, then we won't be interrupted by the needs of customers."

There's a suggestive curve to Oren's perfectly sculpted eyebrows that catches Takatora off guard, even coming from a man who made blustering declarations of devotion on the battlefield. He's underestimated him again. Takatora notes that he will have to keep in mind that he's not so simple as he seems. "After hours, then. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Au revoir, mon amour."

Takatora feels uncharacteristically warm as he makes his way to the door of the shop.


End file.
